Cornucopia Natural Foods in Sayville to celebrate expansion

Cornucopia Natural Foods is not about to lie down in the face of the much-ballyhooed Amazon-Whole Foods Market merger. The 41-year-old Sayville business is investing in the future with a major expansion and upgrade. And it’s celebrating that future with an all-day “grand reopening” party.

When the doors open at 9 a.m. on Sept. 9, the first 100 customers will get “doorbuster giveaways.” All customers will be entered in raffles for store merchandise, gift cards and free classes at local gyms and yoga studios. (Make a purchase and get five more raffle tickets.) Throughout the day there will be free samples of prepared foods and cold-pressed juices; from noon to 2 p.m., enjoy (or endure) a free shot of wheatgrass. Cornucopia will donate part of the day’s take to the charity  1% for the Planet.

“Shopping in a big chain or online, you’re never going to have the vibe that we have here,” said Jon Lien, the 36-year-old owner who recently bought the store from his mother, founder Lynne Dougherty. “We know most of our customers names’ — and they know most of one another’s names.”

The expansion doubled Cornucopia’s retail floor, and has allowed for the growth of every department: produce (all organic, much local), meat (all humane), dairy (and vegan alternatives thereto), grocery, frozen food, wellness (herbs, supplements and homeopathic remedies), cosmetics, household items and even pet products. There’s all around more gluten free, more paleo, more vegan.

Cornucopia’s prepared foods have a sleek new counter at the back of the store, but tables and chairs have moved to the front. A local woodworker, Pete Carbocci, crafted them from refurbished pallets and reclaimed wood, and they complement the store’s new rustic-chic décor. Customers who choose to dine in the store can also appreciate the floor-to-ceiling “living wall” of plants created by Sacred Gardens Farm in Center Moriches, who also supplies produce in season.

Cornucopia Natural Foods is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Cornucopia Natural Foods, 35 N. Main St., Sayville, 631-589-9579, cornucopiahealthfoods.com